CN101901969A - Automation devices with terminal modules - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a kind of automation equipment (100) with terminal module (3), wherein in this terminal module (3), be plugged with functional module (4), this automation equipment is adapted to pass through other terminal module (3a, being connected to each other 3b) realizes the modularization expansion, wherein terminal module (3) comprising: first storing apparatus (1) is used for accommodation function module (4); Second storing apparatus (2) with first contact device (11), be used to hold interface module (5) with second contact device (12), wherein can be functional module (4) conduction supply power voltage by interface module (5), the device (10) that wherein is used for monitoring supply power voltage is integrated in functional module (4).

Description

Automation devices with terminal modules

technical field

The invention relates to an automation device with a terminal module, wherein a functional module is inserted into the terminal module, and is suitable for realizing modular expansion through the mutual connection of other terminal modules, wherein the terminal module includes: for accommodating the functional module A first receiving device; a second receiving device with a first contact device for receiving an interface module with a second contact device, wherein a supply voltage can be transmitted to the functional module via the interface module.

Background technique

EP 1 764 873 A1 discloses a modularly constructable automation system, in which an end module can be connected to a function module, and in which an end module can be connected to an adjacent end module.

DE 198 07 710 C2 also discloses an automation device with a terminal module, a plurality of function modules and an interface module, wherein the supply voltage does not pass through the interface module.

The automation system described is preferably used for controlling industrial processes using so-called decentralized peripherals, in which the supply of power to individual end modules takes place by means of power supply modules, into which in turn functional modules are inserted. According to the invention, a functional module is understood to be, for example, an input/output module for switching input/output signals in an industrial process. A power supply module according to the prior art is plugged into a free plug-in position of a terminal module and thus supplies power to groups of other terminal modules connected to the power supply module, which in turn contain further functional modules. According to the prior art, load groups are formed by interconnecting corresponding terminal modules, within which all modules are supplied with the same power supply. According to the automation device described in DE 198 07 710C2 (see paragraph 20), the supply voltage runs through the individual terminal modules.

A disadvantage here is that the supply modules each occupy a specific plug-in position and that a change in the supply voltage group or also referred to as load group causes this group separation. A further disadvantage is that plug-in locations are lost for the actual automation task which is to be carried out by the function module. Various variants for the modular construction of such devices have hitherto been known in the field of automation, such as channel modules or technology modules supplied with a supply voltage. In these implementations, however, it is always necessary to sacrifice “free” plug locations for the power supply modules.

Contents of the invention

It is therefore the object of the invention to provide an automation system which has a relatively small overall size and therefore occupies a small footprint.

This object is achieved by integrating the means for monitoring the supply voltage in the functional module in the automation system mentioned at the outset. A power supply module can thus advantageously be dispensed with. According to the prior art, the previous monitoring of the supply voltage is carried out within the supply module. By transferring the monitoring of the supply voltage to the function module, the plug-in position of the terminal module is further used for the realization of the function module.

An advantageous refinement of the automation device provides that the first contacting device has a first interface, a second interface, a third interface and a fourth interface, which are arranged on the first side and on the second side of the terminal module in this way , that is to say a further terminal module can be connected to the first contact device with its further first contact device. If the terminal module is imagined as a component part with a left side, that is, a first side, and a right side, that is, a second side, and a third side for snapping onto a component bracket, such as a profiled rail, The first side of the terminal module can then each abut against the second side of the preceding terminal module and be connected to the first contact means arranged inside the terminal module. In addition, a further end module can rest with its first side on the second side of the previous module and thus in principle produce an arbitrarily long modular construction of the automation system.

It is particularly advantageous here if the contact arrangement is designed in such a way that the cluster of the first group comprising at least one terminal module is switched to the first supply voltage. The term "group" is to be understood according to the device described, that the group does not necessarily have to have the three elements that usually form a group, but can also consist of one or a pair of functional modules in the sense of the invention. Terminal modules make up the group. In the mechanical field, when inserting terminal modules, one can refer to an upper group (Obergruppe), that is to say, all necessary terminal modules are preferably connected to each other mechanically in the automation system, which can be achieved, for example, by The corresponding locking device on the module is realized. In this case, the first contact device in each terminal module is designed to form a first group of terminal modules by plugging in a corresponding interface module with a second contact device, these terminal modules having a common supply voltage belong to a whole. This is preferably achieved in that the first interface and the third interface and the second interface and the fourth interface can be connected to one another via bridges arranged in the interface module for further conduction of the supply voltage within the group.

In order to determine the starting point of the first group, in an improved design, the third interface and the fourth interface are respectively connected to the first power supply voltage terminal and the second power supply voltage terminal provided in the interface module for connecting pass the supply voltage. The next disputed point of the second group then forms a further interface module with supply voltage terminals and correspondingly designed first contact means.

This type of interface module can preferably be plugged on the terminal module as a separate wiring device, so that the wiring device has at least one clamping device for clamping other signal lines. The clamping device can be a screw clamp device, a blade clamping device or a spring clamping device in terms of form. In connection modules of the first type, correspondingly, a clamping device for the signal lines is arranged in addition to the clamping device for the supply voltage. In the case of a second type of interface module, the connection terminals for the supply voltage are omitted and thus advantageously provide space for additional connection terminals, to which further signal lines can be connected. Since, as mentioned above, a power supply module can be dispensed with according to the aforementioned embodiment, it is therefore advantageous to arrange a self-oscillating diode for quenching the arc in the interface module. Furthermore, it is further advantageous if a high-impedance ground is arranged in addition to the self-oscillating diode in order to realize a potential-free configuration of the functional module. The self-oscillating diode and ground are only actively connected here if the interface module is designed as a power supply module.

Potential-free structure means that the ground bus bar of the 24V power supply voltage is not forced to be connected to the ground with low impedance, otherwise the 24V power supply voltage works on the common ground bus bar in multiple load groups, which is very technically inappropriate. Hope appears.

The absence of a low-impedance connection to earth can lead to a potential difference between the 24V supply potential (24V and ground bus) and earth, which can well exceed 100V. This firstly occurs because energy is induced in the (24V) input line by an electromagnetic field located in the surroundings, which increases the voltage of the ground conductor and the 24V conductor to ground. Technically this can be a common-mode interference, since the two conductors (24V and ground busbar) are run in parallel in the cable and are likewise involved in the potential rise. If they are laid separately in separate conductors, which is generally not possible in practice, it is also possible to cause separate potential changes in the two conductors and thus cause the voltage difference to increase from the normal 24V to a substantially higher value (push-pull interference), here the protective circuit in the interface module disconnects the excessive voltage. Since the energy supply through the electromagnetic field is relatively high-impedance, a high-impedance ground is sufficient to conduct this electrical energy.

In order to make it easier for the operator or assembler of the automation equipment to configure the automation equipment into different groups, the interface module is designed to simplify the identification of multiple group clusters when looking down on the automation equipment, preferably with For the first visual design of the interface module with the function of supplying the supply voltage, and the second visual design of the interface module with the function of forwarding the supply voltage. The identification of individual groups or thus load groups is thus made easier. Examples include, for example, a black plastic module for the supply of the supply voltage and a white plastic module for the further transmission of the supply voltage. Furthermore, the interface module is shown as a structural unit, for example as a connection device. For this purpose, the terminal device has a unit consisting of terminals, a printed circuit board for the self-oscillating diode, the quenching device and the potential isolation device, as well as peripheral connectors for connecting the terminal device to the terminal module.

According to the invention, it is now also possible to replace the connection device when subsequently changing the modular construction with regard to groups, that is to say to replace the interface modules without removing the terminal modules, thus forming new group configurations. Subsequent load group changes are now no longer difficult by replacing complete terminal modules.

Contents of the invention

The accompanying drawing shows a kind of embodiment of the automation equipment according to the present invention, shows in the figure:

Figure 1 shows a terminal module;

Figure 2 shows an interface module for further transmission of the supply voltage;

Figure 3 shows an interface module for inputting a supply voltage;

Figure 4 shows an automation system with three load groups, of modular construction.

Detailed ways

FIG. 1 shows a terminal module 3 of an automation system 100 ( FIG. 4 ) for the modular construction of the automation system 100 .

The terminal module 3 comprises: a first accommodation device 1 for accommodating a functional module 4 (Fig. 4); a second accommodating device for accommodating a first interface module 5 (Fig. 2) or a second interface module 5' (Fig. 3) 2. The first receiving device 1 and the second receiving device 2 are designed in the shape of a shaft, so that the functional modules 4 or interface modules 5, 5' are inserted into the respective shafts using plug-shaped contact devices for mechanical fixing and electrical connection. The terminal module 3 has a first side 21 and a second side 22 . Furthermore, the terminal module 3 is designed as a cuboid-shaped part with six sides. The first plane of the first side 21 can rest, for example, on the head assembly of the automation device 100 and thus form the starting point for a modular construction of the automation device 100 , wherein another terminal module with its other first side 21 rests against the second side 22 of the terminal module 3 , wherein the terminal modules are each connected via the first contact means 11 .

The first contact device 11 has a first interface 41 , a second interface 42 , a third interface 43 and a fourth interface 44 . The first interface 41 and the second interface 42 are arranged in the terminal module in such a way that the respective first ends of the first interface 41 and the second interface 42 protrude from the rectangular parallelepiped shell of the terminal module 3 for use with The other terminal block remains in contact. The respective second ends of the first interface 41 and the second interface 42 are arranged inside the terminal module 3 or inside the second receiving device 2 with the contact means in such a way that the contact means, such as bridges or power supply terminals, are plugged in at the second end. on the two ends.

The third interface 43 and the fourth interface 44 are designed in such a way that the first ends of the interfaces 43, 44 are each located in the housing of the terminal module 3 in such a way that the first interface 41 and the second interface 42 of the other terminal module 3b Each can be plugged with its respective first end into the respective first end of the third and fourth interface of the preceding terminal module 3 . A first line 45 is connected to a second end of the third connection 43 and a second line 46 is connected to a second end of the connection 44 . First and second lines 45 , 46 are used to conduct the supply voltage in terminal module 3 from second receptacle 2 into first receptacle 1 .

The functional module 4 inserted into the first receptacle 1 is supplied via the first line 45 and the second line 46 with the voltage switched on or supplied via the first contacting device 11 . The first contact device 11 is designed with its third interface 43 and fourth interface 44 to receive a contact device which can further transmit the supply voltage via the interface module 5 or 5'.

FIG. 3 shows an interface module 5', which is used to feed the supply voltage into the terminal module 3. As shown in FIG. The interface module 5' has a second contact means 12. The second contact device 12 is designed here with a first supply voltage terminal 8 and a second supply voltage terminal 9 , wherein the supply voltage terminals 8 , 9 are connected to the contact devices which are plugged into the second receiving device 2 at the interface module 5 ′. In this state, contact with the first connection 43 and the second connection 44 is maintained by a correspondingly designed contact device, and thus the supply voltage can be fed into the first receiving device via the supply voltage terminals 8, 9 via the first line 45 and the second line 46 1 and thus ensures that the functional module 4 is supplied with a supply voltage when the functional module 4 is plugged into the first receiving device 1 .

A self-oscillating diode 23 for arc extinguishing is arranged in the interface module 5' designed as a power supply module. In addition, a high-impedance ground 24 is provided in the interface module 5' in order to realize a potential-free configuration. The interface module 5' is represented as a structural unit, wherein the structural unit comprises terminals for clamping signal lines and power supply lines; a self-oscillating diode 23, a high impedance ground 24 and a For the circuit board of the peripheral device connector of the interface module 5 ′, the second receiving means has correspondingly arranged opposing contact points.

The wiring in 5' is designed so that the connections 41 and 42 of the terminal module 2 do not remain in contact. Therefore, the load voltage applied to the adjacent module on the left is no longer transmitted but interrupted, while the load voltage connected to terminals 8 and 9 is likewise not transmitted to the left, and thus a new load group is similarly started group. The new load voltage is again applied to the contacts 43 and 44 and can be used there by the next terminal module with the elements shown in FIG. 2 . But if the adjacent terminal block on the right is equipped with the elements shown in Figure 3, then a new load group will start over there.

FIG. 2 shows a second type of interface module 5 . The interface module 5 has a first contacting device 12 , wherein according to this refinement, the first contacting device 12 comprises a first bridge 6 and a second bridge 7 . The bridges 6 , 7 are designed such that they connect the first interface 41 with the third interface 43 and the second interface 42 with the fourth interface 44 when the interface module 5 is fastened in or on the receiving device 2 . The supply voltage supplied via the preceding terminal module is passed on from the first connection 41 to the second connection 43 by means of the first bridge 6 and from the second connection 42 to the fourth connection 44 by means of the second bridge 7 . In the interface module 5' of the first type according to FIG. 3, supply voltage terminals 8, 9 are required, here shown as 8', 9', which are now used as inputs for an alternative supply voltage for other signal terminals.

FIG. 4 shows a modularly constructed automation system 100 having a first group 51 , a second group 52 and a third group 53 . The automation system 100 comprises eleven terminal modules connected to one another. A functional module 4 is inserted into each of these eleven interconnected terminal modules. Each functional module 4 has a device 10 for monitoring the supply voltage V1, V2, V3. Viewed from left to right, the first four terminal modules 3 and their plugged-in functional modules 4 form a second group 52 . The first terminal module 1 becomes the starting point of the second group 52 through the inserted interface module 5' having a power supply function. The power supply voltage V2 input through the interface module 5' of the first terminal module 1 is continuously transmitted to the fourth terminal module or to the fourth function module 4 through other interface modules having the function of continuing transmission.

From the fifth terminal module 3 onwards, a new group, that is to say the first group 51 , is started by the interface module with power supply function inserted in the fifth terminal module. The incoming supply voltage V1 is forwarded to the eighth terminal module via a corresponding interface module with forwarding functionality.

By means of the ninth terminal module, a third supply voltage V3 is fed in again via a correspondingly designed interface module with power supply functionality, which voltage V3 is transmitted onward via the tenth and eleventh terminal modules of the interface module with onward transmission functionality.

The second group 52 is composed of first to fourth terminal modules. The first group 51 is composed of fifth to eighth terminal modules, and the third group 53 is composed of ninth to eleventh terminal modules.

The automation device 100 is divided into a module area 60 , a terminal area 61 and a supply voltage area 62 . The supply voltage area 62 may also be referred to as a power bus (Powerbus) or a supply voltage line forming a loop. The interface modules 5 , 5 ′ are designed with their terminal area 61 in such a way that, in addition to the supply terminals 8 , 9 for the supply voltages V1 , V2 , V3 , a plurality of terminals are arranged for signal clamping of industrial process signals Wire.

If the interface module 5' with power supply function is used, then the lower two terminals 8, 9 of the interface module are used to input the supply voltage V1, V2, V3.

If the interface module 5 has an onward transmission function, the two lower supply terminals 8', 9' are not required for supplying the supply voltage and can therefore advantageously be used for clamping signal lines.

The combination of the terminal module 3 with the correspondingly indicated first contact device 11, the interface module 5, 5' inserted in the second receptacle 2 and the device arranged therein for monitoring the supply voltage The functional modules 4 of 10 produce an alternation and cause a synergy. The advantage lies in an additional plug-in position that becomes free, because it is not necessary to plug in a separate power supply module; the independent structure of the groups 51, 52, 53 has different supply voltage; furthermore, retrofitting of the automation device 100 is facilitated, since the terminal modules no longer have to be moved on profiled rails in order to change the load group.

Claims (9)

1. automation equipment (100) with terminal module (3), wherein, in described terminal module (3), be plugged with functional module (4), described automation equipment is adapted to pass through other terminal module (3a, being connected to each other 3b) realizes modular expansion, and wherein said terminal module (3) comprising:

-be used to hold first storing apparatus (1) of described functional module (4),

-have second storing apparatus (2) of first contact device (11), described second storing apparatus is used to hold the interface module (5) with second contact device (12), wherein can be described functional module (4) transmission supply power voltage by described interface module (5), it is characterized in that the device (10) that is used for monitoring supply power voltage is integrated in described functional module (4).

2. automation equipment according to claim 1 (100), wherein, described first contact device (11) has first interface (41), second interface (42), the 3rd interface (41) and the 4th interface (44), first side (21) that these described interfaces are arranged on described terminal module (3) in this wise go up and second side (22) on, promptly other terminal module (3a) can utilize its first other contact device to be connected on described first contact device (11).

3. automation equipment according to claim 1 and 2 (100), wherein, described first contact device (11) designs in this wise, comprises that promptly the cluster of first cohort (51) of at least one terminal module (3) is switched to first supply power voltage (V1).

4. automation equipment according to claim 3 (100), wherein, described first interface (41) can interconnect by the bridge circuit (6,7) that is arranged in the described interface module (5) in order to continue the transmission supply power voltage in cohort with described the 4th interface each other with described the 3rd interface (43) and described second interface (42).

5. according to each described automation equipment (100) in the claim 2 to 4, wherein, described the 3rd interface (43) and described the 4th interface (44) can be respectively be arranged on described interface module (5) in the first supply power voltage terminal (8) be connected with second power supply terminal (9), be used to connect supply power voltage (V1).

6. according to each described automation equipment (100) in the claim 1 to 5, wherein, the clamping device that described interface module (5) has at least one following pattern is used for other holding wire of described functional module (4) with clamping:

-spiral binding clip device,

-blade fixture,

-fixture of the spring.

7. according to each described automation equipment (100) in the claim 1 to 6, wherein, in described interface module (5), be provided with the free wheeling diode (23) that is used for arc extinguishing.

8. according to each described automation equipment (100) in the claim 1 to 7, wherein, in described interface module (5), be provided with the ground connection (24) of high impedance, be used to realize the structure of the no current potential of functional module (4).

9. according to each described automation equipment (100) in the claim 1 to 8, wherein, described interface module (5) is designed, when overlooking described automation equipment, to discern the identifiability of a plurality of cohort clusters, the first vision moulding and being used to that preferably is used to have the interface module of the function of supplying power that is used for described supply power voltage has the second vision moulding of interface module of the continuation transfer function of described supply power voltage.

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